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Tuesday, April 10, 2018

I've seen Jack Williams go from Bible-college student to a GOP hustler with Mike Hubbard and Rob Riley -- and now "Captain Jack" is under federal indictment

Jack Williams

I got to know Jack Williams when he was a student in Bible college, calling in basketball scores to the sports desk at the Birmingham Post-Herald, where I worked for 11 years. I thought Jack was a good guy then, and my feelings stayed that way for about 25 years or so.

But it started to become clear about 10 years ago that Jack Williams had turned into a sorry piece of crap. Now, he stands indicted on federal bribery charges and could face up to 20 years in prison.

Perhaps that is what happens when you let partisanship trump friendship, when you let loyalty to political party trump loyalty to your country, when you let a lust for power trump the rule of law. It's particularly dangerous when you become enraptured with Alabama's hideously corrupt Republican Party and hitch yourself to some of the most rotten fruit to fall from the GOP's rootless tree.

Sadly, it appears Jack Williams heart became filled with the "Gospel of Karl Rove and Jack Abramoff," replacing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Last week's news of Williams' arrest -- with him appearing in Montgomery in handcuffs and shackles before a U.S. magistrate -- should not be too much of a surprise when you consider that he has aligned himself for years with Mike Hubbard and oily Rob Riley, two of the most corrupt political figures to ever walk the earth.

Few championed the cause of disgraced Speaker of the House, Mike Hubbard, more than Birmingham Republican State Rep. Jack Williams. From organizing a letter to the Obama Administration’s Attorney General Loretta Lynch to pushing legislation to aid Hubbard, it has been Williams who has fought so faithfully for the convicted felon. Williams has even made calls to raise money for Hubbard’s legal defense, according to those with knowledge of his actions.

In late 2015, Williams was reportedly active in raising funds for Hubbard’s legal defense. It was believed that he and Hubbard’s attorney Rob Riley were soliciting donations for the fund shortly after J. Mark White withdrew from the case.

Working with oily Rob Riley to raise money for Mike Hubbard's legal defense? Geez, you can't sink much lower than that. And to fall for such a scam? You can't get more blinded by political blight than that. Is it any wonder Williams sold me out, even though I thought we had been friends for 25 years or so?

I'm pretty sure The Bible says something along the lines of "bad company ruins good morals." You might want to look it up, Jack.